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Katha on Guru Granth Sahib ji, all in English!! This is the first time I’ve seen something like this recorded, so please spread the link around. Check out their youtube page where they’re putting up the entire katha, bit by bit, as it gets done.

When Sri Guru Gobind Singh Jee started Damdami Taksaal, one of the main purposes for the jatha was the spreading and teaching of Gurbani Arth(ਅਰਥ). Keeping with the establishment, Sant Baba Gurbachan Singh Jee, the 12th leader, headed the jatha for 39 years(February 1930 -June 1969) and he served the panth with devotion. Throughout this time as Jathedar (ਜਥੇਦਾਰ), Babaji completed 27 kathas of Sahib Sri Guru Granth Sahib Jee. Prior to starting their 27th katha, technology presented itself so the katha could be recorded. Bhagat Jaswant Singh (Charan Singh Bhagat Jee) got blessed by Guru Sahib to record katha of Sahib Sri Guru Granth Sahib Jee, Sri Dasam Granth Sahib Jee, Bhai Gurdaas Jee Vaaran and Kabit and Sooraj Parkash by Sant Baba Gurbachan Singh Jee over a time period of 7 years. After the recordings were complete, as per the wish of Baba Gurbachan Singh Jee, the cassettes were all given to Sant Kartar Singh Jee Khalsa.

Upon the completion of the katha In 1967 at Ganganagar(Rajasthan) as apart of the parchaar (ਪਰਚਾਰ )mission. The entire jatha, went to Sant Baba Gurbachan Singh Jee with a request (ਬੇਨਤੀ) to compose Guru Granth Sahib Jee’s full translation(ਸਟੀਕ). It was decided there that this project will be undertaken by the Jatha. Five Singhs Sant Kartar Singh Jee, Sant Parmjit Singh (ਮਾਹਲਪੁਰ), Sri Mahant Vaidh Niranjan Singh Jee (ਬੋਪਾਰਾਏ), and Bhagat Jaswant Singh (ਭਗਤ ਜੀ )along with Sant Baba Gurbachan Singh Jee did an Ardaas(ਅਰਦਾਸ) for the composing of the steek. Sant Ji said that from the four of you not everyone will see this through in physical form. But whoever is still alive should shoulder this project.

With the mission in mind, Bhagat Jaswant Singh (Bhagat Jee) has dedicated his life into bringing the ardaas into fruitation. He has forsaken all worldy dealings and committed his time and energy into writing translations of Banee(ਅਰਥ), and teaching proper pronounciation(ਸੰਥਾ) of Gurbani. The first batch of these translations are being released to sangat for the first time, Upon much dedication these pothees(ਪੋਥੀਆਂ) have been published in hardcopy and softcopy. It is also BhagatJee’s desire that the sangat have recordings to accompany the recordings for proper pronounciation of characters (ਲਗਾਂ). These recordings are also available on the website.

As the title says, santhya recordings for the sahaj paath of the entire Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji have been uploaded on http://gursevak.com/. The visharaam pothi for the entire Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji has also been completed. This method is the easiest and fastest method to learn Gurbani santhya that I have tried as compared to learning from a uni course, learning from a giani in the traditional way, learning from a mahapurkh in the traditional way, and using Bani pro.

The method is quite simple, you read from the pothi out loud and try to match your pronunciation to the recording. Rosetta Stone, an incredibly famous and effective language learning software, uses the same method.

Although I try to keep this blog focused on dharm, the reality of our lives is that we live in the real world, we have to go to school, study, get jobs, and serve through our financial and kirt seva. I’ve spent a considerable amount of time researching study skills, thus far I haven’t found any strategies that feel like they are a good fit for me. Most of them seem too artificial or inefficient. In the hopes of helping out the dharmically minded youth, I present to you the best study skills blog, with the best study skills methodology that I’ve found. Please spread this everywhere, on all the forums, so that our youth can get a leg up.

Focus on the mool mantr helps immensely in building up our concentration. Or any other Bani. A focused mind is far more capable of understanding and remembering complex information in less time than an unfocused mind. The extra time savings can be put into more abhyaas or into further study.

And to deal with the stress – remember that the results are not in our hands, they are God’s. Instead of wasting time and mental energy by worrying (which by the way, weakens our concentration), keep your mind focused on study and abhyaas. Listen to the gareebi nimrata nitnem that you can download from http://www.gursevak.com on your ipod 24/7. Even if you can’t focus on it all the time, it will still reduce stress just by being on in the background.

Regular exercise cannot be overemphasized. A healthy diet, a B-100 vitamin to help with alertness, and regular pranayam yoga will also help with alertness. Basically, if you don’t know what the ingredient in some food product is, or you can’t pronounce it, it’s probably something really unhealthy for you. Massage some oil (such as almond oil, coconut oil) on your scalp for lubrication. Top of head, top-back part of head, and the temples are the main locations for this. You can even squirt mustard oil up your nostrils at night to reduce kushkee (dryness) of the brain, scalp, and eyes. It helps in reducing nasal congestion if you have that problem.

Here’s an excerpt from the study skills blog that I want you guys to spread around:

I’m in the middle of a challenge that might scare most students in my position: I’m writing a doctoral dissertation and a book simultaneously. (Literally: my thesis and manuscript are due within a week of each other.)

This requires, on average, 4 – 6 hours of hard focus (split about evenly between the two projects) per day, five days per week.

I could not have pulled this off five years ago. But in the intervening half decade, I’ve been pushing hard to expand my hard focus capacity. As my graduate student experience progressed, I systematically increased the amount of time I would force myself to work continuously without a break to seek unrelated stimulation. This culminated in my current schedule in which I write for 2 – 3 hours, take a break for lunch, e-mail, and exercise, and then work on my thesis for 2 – 3 hours, before finishing for the day.

Bhagat Jaswant Singh ji, student of Baba Gurbachan Singh ji Bhindrenwale, was given the seva by baba ji of recording santhya of the entire Guru Granth Sahib ji. His pothis and mp3’s are now up on www.Gursevak.com. Baba ji taught santhya to Baba Hari Singh ji Randhawa and Giani Thakur Singh ji and his santhya resource is the most advanced I have ever seen.

The site also contains pothis on rahit, Guru Granth Sahib ji and Guru Sahibans’ history, and health. There is a Q&A pothi with answers to many common questions from bhramgyanis from different schools.

Please check out this amazing resource, and spread the word so peoople know.

Pothis uploaded include:

Bal updesh

This pothee is a step by step guide to learn Gurmukhi. It begins with the Gurmukhi alphabet, moves to character pronounciation and then details how to pronounce difficult words in Banee.

This pothee also included a set of Mp3’s to serve as an audiobook. When reading the pothee, the recordings will help with the pronounciation and help learn Gurmukhi quicker.

The file also includes a section detailing the consequences of misusing relgious money and resources.

Gur Bansavli
Sri Guru Granth Sahib Jee History
Health

This pothee includes methods in which to keep the mind and body healthy. It uses Gurbanee to discuss how to avoid sickness and take care of one’s body. It includes healthy living disciplines to go along with a healthy diet to ensure a fit life supported by Banee. It talks about traditional medicine and discusses how to take care of current sickness.

Punj Sanskar

This file contains GuruSahib’s code of conduct for important occasions in a Gurmukh’s Life.

Section 1: deals with the important principles(prononciation, writing style, significance of Gurmukhi, etc) of Gurmukhi learning. In addition it deals with importance of each character (ਲਗਾਂ) not previously discussed in any steek.

Section 2: details the conduct for the birth of a child. It covers from the initial ardaas for a child and covers up to raising the child (womb ardaas, health care, Amrit, nameing the child, method of raising the child etc). It is supported by examples from GuruSahib’s time and complemented with the lives of many Gurmukhs.

Section 3: Details the manner in which Amrit is prepared. It discusses the importance of Amrit.

Section 4: Details the marriage ceremony for Gurmukhs.

Section 5: Details the ceremony for the final rights of a Gurmukh. The section discusses Guru Granth Sahib Jee’s Sehaj Paath, the prepartion for the funeral and various final rights.

Rehatnamay: There is also one section dedicated to the various code of conducts established by Gurusahib.

Question And Answer with Mahapurkhs

This file includes the answers to questions posed to Gurmukhs about Gurmat. Many people try to build doubt in the minds of Gurmukhs who are on this path. This file provides answers to commonly asked questions that are tended to bring doubt into one’s mind. It also includes a section that includes teachings and sayings from all Guru Sahibs and mahapursh such as Bhai Vir Singh Jee, Sant Baba Sunder Singh Jee, Sant Baba Gurbachan Singh Jee, Sant Baba Nand Singh Jee, Sant Baba Attar Singh Jee and Sant Baba Isher Singh Jee. The next section lists important relgious Pothian to read and understand for Gurmat.

The only external tempters of man are The objects of Sensation. These, however, are powerless in themselves until they are reflected in his mind as desirable objects to possess. His only enemy, therefore, is his coveting of the objects of sensation. By ceasing to covet objects of sensation, temptation and the painful fighting against impure desires pass away. This ceasing to covet objects of sensation is called the relinquishing of desire ; it is the renunciation of the inner defilement, by which a man ceases to be the slave of outward things, and becomes their master.

Temptation is a growth, a process more or less slow, the duration of which can be measured by the sage who has gained accurate knowledge of the nature of his thoughts and acts and the laws governing them, by virtue of having subjected himself to a long course of training in mental discipline and self-control. It has its five stages, which can be clearly defined, and their development traced with precision. But the man who is still immersed in temptation has, as yet, little or no knowledge of the nature of his thoughts and acts and the laws governing them. He has lived so long in outward things—in the objects of sensation—and has given so little time to introspection and the cleansing of his heart, that he lives in almost total ignorance of the real nature of his thoughts and acts which he thinks and commits every day. To him, temptation seems to be instantaneous, and his powerlessness to combat the sudden and, apparently, unaccountable on slaught, causes him to regard it as a mystery, and mystery being the mother of superstition, he may and usually does fall back upon some speculative belief to account for his trouble, such as the belief in an invisible Evil Being, or power, outside himself who suddenly, and without warning, attacks and torments him. Such a superstition renders him more powerless still, for he has sufficient knowledge to understand that he cannot hope to successfully cope with a being more powerful than himself, and of whose whereabouts and tactics he is altogether unacquainted ; and so he introduces other beliefs and superstitions which his dilemma seems to necessitate, until at last; in addition to all his sins and sufferings, he becomes burdened with a mass of supernatural beliefs which engross his attention, and take him farther and farther away from the real cause of his difficulty. Meantime he continues to be tempted and to fall, and must do so until by self-subjugation and self-purification he has acquired the ability to trace the relation between cause and effect in his spiritual nature, when, with purified and enlightened vision, he will see that the moment of temptation is but the fulfilment of those impure desires which he secretly harbours in his own heart. And, later, with a still purer heart, and when he has gained sufficient control over his wandering thoughts to be able to analyse and understand them, he will see that the actual moment of temptation itself has its inception, its growth, and its fruition.

What, then, are the stages in temptation ? And how is the process of temptation born in the mind ? How does it grow and bear its bitter fruit? The stages are five, and are as follows .

1. PERCEPTION
2. COGITATION
3. CONCEPTION
4. ATTRACTIONand5. DESIRE

The first stage is that in which objects of sensation are perceived as objects. This is pure perception, and is without sin or defilement. The second stage is that in which objects of sensation are considered as objects of personal pleasure. This is a brooding of the mind upon objects, with an undefined groping for pleasurable sensation, and is the beginning of defilement and sin. In the third stage objects of sensation are conceived as objects of pleasure. In this stage the objects are associated with certain pleasurable sensations, and these sensations are conceived and called up vividly in the mind. In the fourth stage objects of sensation are perceived as objects of pleasure. At this stage the pleasure as connected with the object is distinctly defined, yet there is a confusion of pleasure and object, so that the two appear as one, and a wish to possess the object arises in the mind; there is also a going out of the mind towards the object. The fifth and last stage is an intense desire, a coveting and lusting to possess the object in order to experience the pleasure and gratification which it will afford. With every repetition, in the mind, of the first four stages, this desire is added to, as fuel is added to fire, and it increases in intensity and ardour until at last the whole being is aflame with a burning passion which is blind to everything but its own immediate pleasure and gratification. And when this painful fruition of thought is reached, a man is said to be tempted. There is a still further stage of Action, which is merely the doing of the thing desired, the outworking of the sin already committed in the mind. From desire to action is but a short step.

The following table will better enable the mind of the reader to grasp the process and principle involved.

Inaction – Holiness ; Rest.

1. Perception. Objects of Sensation Perceived as such.

2. Cogitation. Objects of Sensation Considered as a source of pleasure.

3. Conception. Objects of Sensation Conceived as affording pleasure.

4. Attraction. Objects of Sensation Perceived as pleasurable in possession.

Every time a man is tempted, he passes, from inaction, though all the five stages in succession, and his fall is a passing on into Action. The process varies greatly in duration according to the nature of the temptation and the character of the tempted ; but after much yielding and many falls, the mind becomes so familiar with the transition that it passes through all the stages with such rapidity as to make the temptation appear as an instantaneous, indivisible experience.

The sage, however, never loses sight of the duration of time occupied in the process of temptation, but watches its growth and transition; and just as the scientist can measure the time occupied in the transition of sensation from the brain to the bodily extremities, or from the extremities to the brain, which, ordinarily, appears not to occupy duration, so the sage measures (though by a different method) the passage from pure perception to inflamed desire in a sudden experience of temptation.

This knowledge of the nature of temptation destroys its power, or rather its apparent power, for power exists in holiness only. Ignorance is at the root of all sin, and it fades away when knowledge is admitted into the mind. Just as darkness and the effects of darkness disappear when light is introduced, so sin and its effects are dispersed when knowledge of one’s spiritual nature is acquired and embraced.

How, then, does the sage avoid sin and remain in peace ? Knowing the nature of sinful acts—how they are the result of temptation; knowing also the nature of temptation-how it is the end—and fruition of a particular train of thought, he cuts off that train of thought at its commencement, not allowing his mind to go out into the world of sensation, which is the world of pain and sorrow. He stands over his mind„ eternally vigilant, and does not allow his thoughts to pass beyond the safe gates of pure perception. To him “all things are pure” because his mind is pure-He sees all objects, whether material or mental, as they are, and not as the pleasure-seeker sees them —as objects of personal enjoyment; nor as the tempted one sees them—as sources of evil and pain. His normal sphere, however, is that of Inaction, which is perfect holiness and rest. This is a position of entire indifference to considerations of pleasure and pain, regarding all things from the standpoint of right, and not from that of enjoyment.Is, then, the sage, the sinless one, deprived of all enjoyment ? Is his life a dead monotony of inaction—inertia? Truly, he is delivered from all those sensory excitement which the world calls “pleasure”, but which conceals, as a mask, the drawn features of pain ; and, being released from the bondage of cravings and pleasures, he lives without ceasing in the divine, abiding joy which the pleasure-seeker and the wanderer in sin can neither know nor understand; but inaction in this particular means inaction as regards sin ; inaction in the lower animal activities which, being cut off, their energy is transferred to the higher intellectual and moral activities, releasing their power, and giving them untrammelled scope and freedom.